1.5 A Long and Winding Journey

Developing a major building is not for the faint-hearted! Many people who have been along this journey (and that may be the best way to think of the process), will tell you that there are many ups and downs, but through it all God has His plans to teach your church congregation more about Himself. Never lose sight of the fact that God will also have other things he wishes to teach us as part of the process. It’s not simply about putting up a building. Just like the forming of the nation of Israel or the honing of the disciples – there are lots of strands to the journey!

One of those strands is the spiritual journey for those travelling along it. That may involve developing a teaching/sermon programme that helps people through the period leading up to the building taking shape. Home group materials could be developed. A sermon plan about issues such as faith, sacrifice, giving, obedience and community may be appropriate. Weave that thread in with the element that a new building may radically impact the direction of the church’s ministry. It may allow you to offer more to your local community, to run events you couldn’t do beforehand, to engage in new relationships in your town, city or village. That will require preparation before the building is opened. Can you start on a small scale beforehand and then ‘scale it up’ when you have new facilities?

Another thread will be the fundraising programme – that in itself can be a journey with lots of ups and downs. The project management of the build will be another element of that journey. All these threads (and there may well be several others) need to be timelined. Map out the timeline (see section 1.4) and thread all these elements into the final weave that will make your journey a memorable one!